Amy was born with Glycogen Storage Disease Type 3A, a rare type of muscular dystrophy. At the age of 5, Amy had a liver transplant. When she was 27, after 5 years of heart failure, she had a heart transplant. This year, she also received a kidney transplant following four years of dialysis. In her late 20s, Amy began needing an electric wheelchair due to mobility challenges.

An advocate about disability and illness issues, Amy is also an expert on Canadian Teen Fiction. In 2014, her Marathon of Books, inspired by Terry Fox & Rick Hansen, raised money to start the Amy Mathers Teen Book Award through the Canadian Children’s Book Centre.

As a consultant at Hope for Families Counselling Centre with her psychotherapist sister, Holly, Amy used teen fiction as resources for a group for young adults who had a family member or friend with cancer. Amy and Holly co-wrote and taught a course for Conestoga College entitled Assisting Families Dealing with Chronic Illness for professionals with health care related jobs. They also co-developed an organizer resource called The Phoenix Pages for people dealing with illness to help them manage their illnesses and live their lives.

Member of Parliament for Montcalm for the Bloc Québécois since 2015, Luc Thériault is the Bloc Québécois spokesperson related to healthcare, medical assistance in dying and drug approval.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in philosophy, a master’s degree from UQAM in political philosophy and a specialized graduate diploma in bioethics from the University of Montreal.

For many years, Luc Thériault taught philosophy at Collège de Maisonneuve. He was also a water polo coach from 1979 to 1988, and national leader from 1988 to 1992. He was also a member of the ethics committee of the Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital Center and the CHSLD Jeanne-Le Ber from 2000 to 2003. As a long-time activist, Luc Thériault was a deputy for the Masson constituency from 2003 to 2007 under the colors of the Parti Québécois. Since 2014, Luc Thériault has been special advisor to the parliamentary wing, to the leader and to the general management of the Bloc Québécois and was parliamentary leader of the Bloc Québécois from 2015 to 2019.

Anna Roberts grew up in the GTA and is the daughter of Italian immigrants. She currently lives in the Hamlet of Kettleby in King Township. Having lived and worked in King-Vaughan for 20+ years, she understands the needs of her community firsthand and is passionate about being a strong representative for its residents.

She is an energetic volunteer, youth mentor, wife, mother, and grandmother. ​Professionally, Anna brings over 30 years of senior administrative experience from the banking and financial industry.

Anna has spent much of her adult life dedicated to her community through her strong record of volunteering. With a dedicated commitment of over 30 years to public service, Anna has received numerous awards including the prestigious Ontario Provincial Volunteer Award. She has also been recognized by Toronto Sick Children’s Hospital, the Salvation Army, and many other community service organizations for her dedicated efforts. Recognizing the increased vulnerability of the elderly, she has volunteered at the King City Lodge Senior’s Residence for over a decade and currently serves as a member of the King Township Accessibility Committee. Most recently Anna volunteered with the local Chamber of Commerce to assist in a local “drive-flu” clinic to ensure the community had access to a necessary vaccination program.

She currently serves as the Shadow Minister for Seniors.

Jodi Hall joined the Canadian Association of Long Term Care as the inaugural CEO in 2021.

Jodi previously served as the executive director of the New Brunswick Association of Nursing Homes from 2017-2021, where she led the Association through the provincial implementation of the InterRAI LTCF in all long-term care homes in the province and the development of a provincial recruitment and retention strategy. During this time she also served on the board of the Canadian Association of Long Term Care (CALTC), including as chair of the Board of Directors from 2019 to 2021.

Jodi has also previously served as board chair of the New Brunswick Continuing Care Safety Association and co-chair of the Collaborative for Healthy Aging and Care, which works to create a shared conversation among all stakeholders on the aging experience in New Brunswick.

Shelly Cory’s ability to overcome obstacles and achieve difficult goals has defined her 20-year career. Shelly approaches every project with an optimism and belief that anything is possible.

Shelly has worked in both the public and private sectors in senior management roles including advising two senior federal cabinet ministers. As a sought-after policy adviser and marketing consultant, Shelly co-ordinated national marketing campaigns and government relations for the Canadian Centre for Child Protection, a charitable organization dedicated to the personal safety of all children. She also spearheaded a provincial awareness campaign for the Manitoba Institute for Patient Safety and coordinated two special initiatives for the President of the University of Winnipeg.

Shelly’s arrival at the Canadian Virtual Hospice in 2007 was a homecoming of sorts. While working as a Senior Policy Advisor for Senator Sharon Carstairs, Minister with Special Responsibility for Palliative Care, Shelly was closely involved in efforts to lay the foundation for an online palliative care resource for all Canadians. Shelly’s commitment to the Canadian Virtual Hospice has been steadfast for the past seven years, through her work with Senator Carstairs, providing advice as a consultant and finally, as executive director for the organization.

With over 20 years of marketing research experience, Lisa started at Leger in 2003 and is a highly respected professional. As a senior vice-president at Leger, Lisa manages the Communications and Public Affairs practice and is a senior member of the Toronto office. Her clients include government, most of the top PR agencies in Canada, and communications practitioners at several corporations, food associations and pharmaceutical companies.

She focuses her practice on public affairs and research for media attention across numerous industries. She also conducts research with associations, not-for-profits, government and financial institutions. She is well-versed in both quantitative and qualitative research methods. With nearly 300 studies completed each year, Lisa’s team regularly assesses advertisements, public opinion, attitudes, behaviour, and key satisfaction metrics across various industries.

Lisa is an active member of the CPRS as a national board director and member of the executive. Lisa is also a spokesperson for Leger and is happy to speak on a variety of topics.

Holly Prince is an Anishinaabekwe and a member of Opwaaganisiniing in Northwestern Ontario. She has a master’s degree in social work and is a PhD candidate in Educational Studies at Lakehead University. Holly’s research focus is on decolonial and Indigenist education and Indigenous health, and community-based research. She is the lead for the Indigenous People’s Health and Aging Division at the Centre for Education and Research on Aging and Health, Lakehead University, where she works as a project manager. A part of her role involves planning, implementing, and evaluating palliative care education and health equity initiatives for Indigenous peoples across Canada. She has devoted the last 20 years to advancing the right of Indigenous peoples’ access to culturally appropriate and equitable palliative care and has mobilized her efforts as a national champion of human rights and dignity for people preparing to journey back to the spirit world.

Pam Orzeck has extensive experience in clinical and community practice, having worked as a front line social worker and research-practitioner for 25 years prior to joining the faculty at McGill University as Associate Professor in the School of Social Work. Pam has been involved in direct services, research, training, and knowledge transfer on multiple social issues related to family caregivers, social gerontology, social policy, and mental health. Pam’s latest research focused on women’s bereavement experiences after caregiving. She has published several articles and co-edited a book on professional interventions with caregivers. Pam is a founding member and part of the coordination team of the Caregiver Grief Connexion project.

Kelly is Global Director, Brand, Marketing & Communications (BMC) for EY’s Talent organization. In this capacity, she leads all global BMC Talent programs and initiatives across 150 countries, working to build EY’s employer brand, heighten employee engagement and to embed the Talent agenda into all areas of the business. Kelly and her team bring to life EY’s promise to deliver an exceptional career experience to all 400,000 of EY’s people through flexible career paths, leading technology and transformative leadership – along with the culture of care and inclusiveness that set EY apart. Specific areas of focus include employer brand and highlighting the unique tools and programs that democratize learning and prepare EY’s people for the future of work. Kelly and her team also oversee BMC strategy and tactics to drive engagement in EY’s exemplary Diversity, Equity & Inclusiveness commitment.

Kelly has more than 25 years of professional services experience, including 16 years at EY. Previously, she was Americas Director of BMC Talent and, prior to that, BMC leader for EY Canada, where her leadership helped grow the EY brand from number four spot among the Big Four accounting firms to number two. Prior to joining EY, Kelly held strategic marketing and communications roles at law firm Ogilvy Renault (now Norton Rose Fulbright) and Accenture.

Kelly lives just outside of Toronto, Canada, with her husband Bill, and two children, Olivia (17) and Robert (13). In her spare time, you’ll find Kelly working towards her goal to hike the 890-km Bruce Trail or hanging out by the water with her family at Balsam Lake, Crystal Beach or on the sunny gulf ocean shores of Florida.

Marcy White enjoyed a career in the investment industry until her son Jacob was born in 2002. Her academic degrees (BSc, MSW, and MBA) did not prepare her for caring for Jacob, who was born with Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease (PMD). Since Jacob’s diagnosis at 10 months old, she has been an outspoken advocate for her son and furthering PMD research to help find a cure. She has published many articles about Jacob that have appeared in publications such as The Globe and Mail and Huffington Post, and is the author of The Boy Who Can: The Jacob Trossman Story. Marcy lives in Toronto, Ontario, with her husband Andrew, their three children, Jacob, Sierra and Jamie, and as many dogs as her family will tolerate.